2013 NBA Finals Game 5 Keys to Victory
With the NBA Finals tied at 2-2 and a pivotal Game 5 ahead, who will come out on top? Here are some keys to winning the game for both teams.
Miami Heat
Play with urgency (again) – The Heat looked like a desperate team on Thursday at both ends of the court and that was a welcome change from some of the other games this postseason. All three of their stars played well offensively and the team also forced 18 turnovers. The Heat haven’t played that way throughout the playoffs and it often shows in lethargic play. When Miami is focused and playing at their highest level, there’s little question they’re the league’s best. But whether or not they play that way on Sunday is another question entirely.
Get Chris Bosh rolling early – Bosh has had trouble throughout the playoffs, but had a breakout game on Thursday. The first thing I’d try to do is get him comfortable early on. Give him some early looks in the paint and let him try to make something happen. Bosh gets a ton of flak, but at the end of the day, he’s still a pretty athletic center capable of making big plays. Let him try to get to the basket against Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter, and company – maybe he scores some quick points and even draws a couple of fouls in the process. Plus, if the team gets Bosh a couple of early buckets, that will draw some extra attention from defenders … possibly freeing up shooters. The key is to develop more confidence in him because Miami is such a better team with their center active and successful in the offense.
Cut back on fouls – The Heat had a total of 26 fouls in the game and six players had at least three. That resulted in 23 points out of 31 trips to the foul line by San Antonio. Part of that was Miami playing aggressive, but the Heat also have to be smarter on defense.
San Antonio Spurs
Fewer turnovers – This one almost goes without saying since it was evident in watching the game that the Spurs were careless with the ball. San Antonio had a whopping 18 turnovers including 12 by the starting lineup. Six players had at least two of them and that led to 23 points by Miami. San Antonio has to be more cognizant of the athleticism of the Heat since lazy passes won’t cut it against the defending champs.
Find more production from Manu Ginobili – The Spurs desperately need some more scoring and they haven’t been getting it from their primary shooter off the bench, Manu Ginobili. The veteran averaged 12 points a game in the regular season, but only about seven per night in this series. Even worse is that he is shooting horribly in the Finals, making only 34% of his shots from the field. It’s clear he’s nearing the end of his career and the Spurs don’t need him to be a superstar. But Ginobili has to find a way to contribute more on offense since he eats up so many minutes.
Play a full 48 minutes – The Spurs have been masterful in the fourth quarter of their two wins, but in the two losses? Not so much. Down only five heading into Game 4’s fourth quarter, San Antonio was routed 28-17 to finish the game. Back in Game 2, it was a similar scenario. The Spurs trailed by a bit more in that game as the Heat led by ten going into the final period, but the outcome was the same. Miami won that quarter with a 29-18 advantage and San Antonio again took the loss. The Spurs have faded at the ends of both of those games and the goal has to be to play a full 48 minutes.
